The present invention relates to a device for detecting the position of an elevator car.
Such devices are generally known from the prior art, wherein for example DE 10 2009 054 337 A1 by the applicant discloses a generic device of this kind.
In connection with safety-relevant elevator technology it is known and is standard practice to assign to a respective elevator car (for transporting persons or loads) a generic sensor and control unit in a suitable sensor housing. In the operation of the elevator the sensor technology of this sensor and control unit accommodated in the sensor housing interacts with the strip which is suitably provided on or in the elevator shaft and equipped with the typically magnetic coding, and by reading this encoding can then carry out an appropriate position determination and, derived therefrom, a speed determination of the elevator car.
So-called emergency systems are also to be assumed as known from the prior art. A typical emergency system of this type provides, for example, that in response to a critical operational state and/or motion state of the elevator car, such as the elevator car exceeding a threshold (possibly one dependent on a current position), security measures are automatically triggered, such as the triggering of a braking function for the elevator motor or the activation of a safety brake for the elevator car.
The detection reliability assumes particular importance here, and therefore the sensor and control units are usually designed to be redundant, i.e. two functional units which are provided substantially parallel to each other and operated independently of each other, can each activate the emergency function in response to the detection of, for example, the speed threshold being exceeded.
In the field of elevator engineering it is also increasingly common to work with standardized systems and associated modules, which when installed at a deployment site are then adapted to the prevailing installation conditions, in particular the existing control and safety electronics being suitably parameterised and configured. In this context, after assembly of the sensor housing and the switching housing it is also standard practice to configure the sensor and control unit appropriately and in this context, in particular, also to set the speed threshold, which is determined, for example, by appropriate structural specifications, regulatory requirements or special conditions at the installation site. Since the electronics constituting the sensor and control unit is typically implemented using microcontrollers or similar technology, the parameterization and configuration is a task which is typically also performed during commissioning by the technicians involved using electronic means, typically via a data bus and a dedicated terminal connected thereto (e.g. a PC). Although in this context a suitably programmed configuration interface does indeed allow reliable device operation and, to a large extent, one that is insensitive compared to operational and setting errors, in terms of practical handling on the elevator however, in particular also during subsequent maintenance and management (where such a configuration system is often not available), it is cumbersome and time-consuming. Add to this the fact that usually known sensor and control units are not normally fitted with a permanently visible display or similar display unit, so that a maintenance technician cannot identify a current configuration or parameterisation state (e.g. a currently set speed threshold) without connected PC-hardware.
In addition, with such an electronic configuration there is also the disadvantage that a power failure or other fault could lead to potential misconfigurations, to a loss of the stored data or to similar undefined and therefore potentially security-compromised configuration states, so that there is a need for improvement in this respect.
The object of the present invention is, therefore, to improve a generic device for detecting the position of an elevator car known from the prior art in terms of its ease of use and security in the parameterisation of the critical emergency function, in particular with regard to the setting and storage of the speed threshold.